Leaving Love
by lara-xo
Summary: -Again, Ash was leaving her. Again, Ash was there to swipe her off her feet. advanceshipping, ash&may


_leaving love._

Ship: advanceshipping

Author: lara

Words: 1250, nice and short!

Disclaimer: don't own Pokemon, obviously.

The sun was setting on an almost perfect ocean. The calm water was perfect for sailing, exactly what the captain would want to hear. May stood silently, discouraged on the port. It was happening again. After the first time, she did not think she could take it again, but here she was. Ash, her one and only best friend, excluding her little brother Max, was leaving her again. After coming for a visit after completing the Unova region, May had become so accustom to Ash being there with her.

Ash stood only a foot in front of her. Ash kept looking back at the ship behind him. Slowly, people were getting on, sailing to Kanto, Vermillion City to be exact. Ash was scheduled to be on that ship. It had been three weeks since he arrived in his friend's home region. May rubbed the side of her face and looked sadly at her friend, "I don't want you to leave just yet."

Ash did not know what to say. He did not want to leave May either, but he has heard of an exciting new region filled with lots of new Pokemon just waiting to be discovered. It was his dream to be a Pokemon master, discovering all sorts of new Pokemon for the professor. But that shooting pain at his heart, that weird pain he just kept pushing away…he didn't know. He smiled slightly, and took May's shoulder, as he always did. "May, I had fun."

"I did too, of course," May sniffled, holding back a tear. "I just…I've been through this before and I don't want to do it again. The three weeks you were here, I miss the travelling and hanging out with you all the time. I want to go back to when I was ten, eleven, twelve. When I was with you, Max and Brock. That's what I want back."

"I-I want that too, more than anything. But our paths…they don't cross anymore. You have become such a wonderful, amazing coordinator," Ash said honestly. He hung his head weakly and released her shoulder. "I don't want you to give anything up, and I know you wouldn't want me to give anything up either."

The tears on May's face were streaming down as fast as a river now. She turned her head, and tried to wipe the tears. Ash was there in a heartbeat, using the pad of his thumb the best he can to try and stop her. "Hey-hey. Don't start crying now. You can trust me when I say we will see each other again. I would not want it anything other way. May?"

May raised her head, whimpering, trying to retract the tears. Ash smiled genuinely, "You are my best friend. I know we did not keep in great contact while I was in Unova, but I promise. I promise that we will talk everyday, twice a day if you want to."

She nodded, not trusting her voice. She took Ash's hand from her face and just held it. Ash let her while she tried to calm herself down. He merely waited for a response from the girl, and he realized he was not going to get it. He squeezed her hand, and brushed back her hair fondly. The seventeen-year-old boy, actually understood how May was feeling, he always knew she was emotional to begin with.

She released his hand after some time, and looked up to his eyes. He was looking straight back at her. May had to look away. Any other person she would have no trouble saying goodbye to on this very port. But Ash? He was different to her. May coughed before speaking up, although quiet, "I guess you should go. Pikachu is getting tired."

It was true, the yellow-mouse Pokemon was napping on one of the benches by the pair. Ash chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "I guess so, May."

"I had fun."

"May, you already said that." Ash rubbed the back of his head and readjusted his cap. "I'll call you when I get home tomorrow, how does that sound?"

Again, he did not get a response. Instead, he got the wind knocked out of him when May clutched his middle tightly. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her back. "I'll miss you, May."

In that moment, Ash and May couldn't thin of anything but the other. Ash sighed contently as he continued to hug his younger companion. He noticed the glances from the elderly couples taking a stroll, but he didn't care. He freed May from his grasp and took her shoulders again. "Bye May."

"Bye Ash."

May gave him a short smile. Just minutes ago she asked him not to leave, that she did not want him to. But he couldn't. She knew that. She could only try. As he walked away to grab Pikachu, May stood, arms liberally at her sides, face downcast. She watched him show his pass to one of the crewmen, and look at her one more time. He waved, and she waved back, afraid the tears would just come back.

It was in that moment that the harbored feelings that she had been shoving away was exploding out of her. She knew. She knew that Ash was the one she was waiting for. It could have been no one else. The memories of Ash holding her, saving her, smiling at her came washing back to life as if it was happening in that instant. She looked around, unsure what to do with herself. She spotted the bench that Pikachu was on, and rushed towards it, holding her head in her hands.

The ship was 100 feet away. She was trying to spot him on the deck, where all the passengers were waving to their spouses or friends on the port. She couldn't spot Ash if her life depended on it. She sobbed loudly. It hindered a young boy walking with his mother, and he just watched. May wiped her face and tried to smile at the boy, but it didn't work. May was sure she scared him off.

The ship honked, clear to sail. The captain's orders were the captain's orders. She ran, and ran, until she was right in front of the ship. It was now silent, slowly moving out of it's docked location. She looked up, trying one more time to try and find Ash. "Ash! No! Ash!"

She ran down the length of the ship, to the back, where there was yet another group of people saying goodbye to the figures on the port. She searched quickly, "Ash! Please don't leave! I have something to tell you!"

All May could do now was shout his name and run back to the front of the ship. She was sure she was being watched. "Ash! Ash! Ash, I love you!"

She sobbed again. "I-I love you."

"I love you too."

She jerked her head around. He was there. He said those words. She couldn't believe her ears. May rushed into his arms, Ash ready to catch her. "Ash, how did you get off that ship?"

"May, I couldn't do it. I didn't know why until that very second that I saw you rush towards the front of the boat," Ash took her face and stared into her incredible eyes. "That I love you."

May beamed so brightly, the tears no longer running. "I love you too!"

"So…how does a trip to Johto sound?"

**So my first advanceshipping story in a while. I'm often too busy to sit around and write, but this will always be my OTP. No matter what. I miss the advanceshipping gang on , and I'm not sure if you guys are still here, but I'm sure there was some new ones. I love you guys too. Thanks for reading and please review!**


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